A World That Swings
by James Eisenhart
Summary: He wanted to give her a chance to get away from it all, a night without all the pressures and worries she endured so regularly. It would be just the two of them for a change. Tonight, there was no pro-bending, no crisis, no ritzy parties, no photo-ops, no Avatar even. Tonight, there was just Korra. Borra, oneshot songfic drabble. I own nothing, sadly.


**AN:** _The Legend of Korra_ and the characters therein are the property and ingenious creations of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Publishing rights belong to Nicklodeon. I hold no ownership rights to this title whatsoever, and I never will, sadly, or this pairing would be canon. I am simply writing this story as a leisurely past time, and because I am a humble fan of this title simply telling a story.

Okay, now that the legal bullsh!t is out of the way, let's get to what you guys came here for then. This is just a one-shot drabble I dreamt up a while back when LoK was still on Nick, one I've been meaning to post for the longest time, but never got around to for one reason or another. However, now that it's summer and I have some free time on my hands, I thought that now was as good a time as any, so here we are. As you are all well aware, I ship Korrasami for this awesome series, and it is a lovely, heartwarming ship to sail upon. However, the other major ship in this series that I support is Borra (Bolin/Korra). I'm pretty sure I speak for a lot of people when I say that for whatever reason, these two are magic when they're together. Even though the first season ended the way it did, I still hold out hope that these two end up together somehow.

Well, I've rambled long enough now, so without further ado, on with the songfic! Speaking of which, the music for this drabble is Tony DeSare's rendition of _"We've Got A World That Swings."_

* * *

_"Music is the vernacular of the human soul."_

_- __**Geoffrey Latham**__._

* * *

To her defense, she'd adamantly protested to this, citing over what seemed a thousand times that she "couldn't dance," or that she had "two left feet". However, he would hear none of it. He kept urging her, prodding her, imploring her to at least give it a shot. Every time, she would just tense up and shake her head in defiance, biting her lip as she held herself back, worrying about how stupid she'd look, or that she'd mess up somehow.

Unlike every other public outing she'd gone to as the city's up-and-coming celebrity hero, he'd made sure this one was far more relaxed than usual, nowhere near the uptight formal affairs she'd been all but forced to attend. He'd gone to a couple with her, and every time it pained him to see her so uncomfortable among the movers and shakers of Republic City, fidgeting with her dress and looking nervous as a jackalope amid the throngs of stuffy, uptight politicians and officials.

Tonight, he wanted her to feel at ease, feel free to be herself, to be the Korra he knew. The smartest, funniest, toughest, buffest, talented-est, most incredible-est girl he knew she was.

And that's why he brought her here, to have a chance to get away from it all, a night where she could just unwind. A night to forget about all the worries of the world, and just have fun. Tonight, there was no pro-bending, no Equalists, no airbending training, no Avatar even.

Tonight, there was just Korra.

The club was nothing entirely special, easy to ignore and yet, just as easy to come by in a city like this. A nice little hole in the wall where people came to eat, drink, converse with one another, and enjoy good music. After all, swing was king here in Republic City, and where would a jazz club be without a live band to set the mood?

She'd worn the dress she usually brought out for a more formal event, making her stick out like a sore thumb. Though to be fair, he'd wanted to look his best for her as well, so the suit he'd worn was just as eye-catching. In hindsight, given her choice of attire, it made sense, since she didn't feel that she stood out as much when next to him. It made her feel more comfortable, more at ease. Exactly how he wanted her to be tonight.

The band settled down from the livelier set they had been playing, and from the look of things on stage, a more relaxed number was coming up. He asked her again. Again, she shook her head and gave the same excuse.

"Come on," he implored her earnestly as he got to his feet and offered her a hand, the club's dim lighting reflecting off his eyes as he gave her an encouraging smile. "It'll be fun. Please? You never know until you try."

Maybe it was the warmth of his smile. Maybe it was the softness in his eyes. Or maybe it was the soothing, carefree sound from the piano and steady heartbeat rhythm of the upright bass as the song began, not to fast, and not too slow, but just right.

Whatever it was, she felt her iron-clad, tough-as-nails persona melt away, and finally, she caved. Chuckling softly, she rose to her feet and took his hand.

"Alright, Bo, you win," she said, a subtle smirk playing at the sides of her mouth. "Just don't blame me if my two left feet stomp on your toes the whole time."

Bolin happily flash his usual stupid grin as they found their spot on the dance floor, grasping her hand with surprising gentility and care. With a sudden jerk of his arm at the small of her back, he pulled her in, causing her to yelp in surprise, followed by a genuine laugh as they held each other close. "Wouldn't dream of it."

The music began.

* * *

_Up at dawn and_

_Sleepy and yawnin'  
Still the taste of wine  
Then I remember you're mine and  
I've got that a world that's fine_

* * *

For all her talk of two left feet, she danced rather well, actually. It took a moment to settle into the rhythm, of course, and ever-so-often she would misstep. But, with his guidance, she started to get the hang of it.

He let her lead when she wanted, something he knew just by the look in her eyes and the tensing of the well-toned muscles in her back beneath his hand, as it was natural for her headstrong personality, an endearing factor that kept him hooked on her like a barnacle-crab to a Naval frigate. However, when she felt she was at a loss, she unconsciously fell back on him to show her the way.

And he was all too happy to accommodate her.

* * *

_What's before me_

_Routines that bore me  
Punch the clock at 8  
But what a lucky guy I am  
I've got a world that's great_

* * *

He remembered thinking, _'This is a dream.'_ It had to be, it felt so surreal. Of the two brothers, he'd been the one that got all the fangirls for some reason, even though Mako had his own steady throng, despite his relationship with Asami. He'd been on a number of dates before, with a number of girls, but, for some reason, he couldn't remember any of those times feeling as bizarrely natural as this did right now. She was different. She was special. There were so many words he could use to describe her, half of which he had no idea that he even knew before he met her.

He wanted this to last, he wanted it to be like this forever. He didn't want this song, this date, this evening, to ever end.

He never wanted to stop holding her in his arms.

* * *

_Atom bombs_

_Cape Canaveral and false alarms  
Half the universe is up in arms  
So I flip a little too until I'm holding you_

* * *

_'I needed this,'_ she thought to herself as she moved with him to the music, everything else blurring out of reality as she kept her eyes focused on his.

Everything had been so hectic lately, so frustrating. Her airbending training with Tenzin, the never-ending string of parties with the uppercrusts of Republic City, the pro-bending circuit, it was all so exhausting. This was something she'd desperately needed, a chance to get away, to leave that all behind, to be herself. And for some reason, she could be that way with Bolin. For some reason, she just felt so at ease around him, like she could really cut loose and enjoy herself, and not care what people thought about her.

As the piano continued to doll out note after note and the song went on, she began to realize, she didn't feel like this around Mako.

Every time they were together, she felt so tense, so nervous, so, so, so exasperated! It was so awkward there were times she wished she could crawl in a hole and hide until both he and her emotions went away. It was like her head and heart were in a vice whenever they were alone together.

With Bo, it wasn't like that.

Whenever they were together, it was like nothing she'd ever felt before. She didn't have to worry about what she said or how she said it, or anything like that. When she was with Bolin, it was like… She could do anything, and he would still be there for her. She didn't have to fret about making him angry, she didn't have to always gage what she said, she didn't have to worry about being the best at everything. She didn't have to _worry_ at all. She didn't have a care in the world. Bo accepted her for who she was, and he never stopped. He was always there for her, no matter what. Like tonight, when he could've been training or enjoying a night on the town on his own, he chose to devote his whole evening to making her feel better.

Maybe… Maybe this was what she'd been looking for all along.

* * *

_What's the hassle_

_I'll buy the castle  
We can live like kings_

* * *

Something in her stirred as they danced, the duo of bass and piano belting out the mood, sending shudders through them like a heartbeat through the dance-floor. Korra didn't know what it was, but she knew she'd felt it before, a long time ago, before all this craziness in her life started. It was warm, inviting, comforting, and it felt so... So right. Before she knew it, she was holding him a little closer, squeezing his hand a hair tighter. She felt him tense up for a moment...

Just before returning the favor, and squeezing her hand as well.

She didn't need to look at his face to know what he was thinking, nor in those beautiful green eyes to see into his heart. At the core of her being, she knew what it was, because she felt it too. A warm, happy feeling started to fill her up from the tips of her toes to the top of her head, as she rested her cheek against his shoulder, her face a mask of pure contentment as hot, salty tears dotted the corners of her eyes, shut in sheer bliss as she moved in time with the rhythm. She never wanted this feeling to end.

This night, she had found happiness.

She had found love.

* * *

_If we're together forever_

_I've got a world that  
You've got a world that  
We've got a world that swings_

* * *

**AN:** Again, what more can I say than "these two just work." I hope you guys enjoyed this one, even if it's taken me a while to actually get around to posting it here. I might be tempted to write some more Borra in the future at some point, who's to say? Anyhow, that's all I have for you guys this time around. Please remember to leave a review if you feel so inclined (constructive criticism is welcome, flames are doused, and trolls are crushed by their own bridges), and I'll see you guys next time. Take care out there! EXCELSIOR!


End file.
